by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden, 45% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $6,353 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,718. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden (freshmen included), 13% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $5,575 in federal loans per year. This is 2.5% lower than the $5,718 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,150 in two years and roughly $22,300 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 13% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,575 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 40 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $223,002 |
The middle borrower at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden owes $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,350 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $13,910 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,980 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 136 | $10,692 |
| Completed (graduates) | 74 | $13,225 |
| Did not complete | 62 | $6,689 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $157.26/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 126 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 122 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 14 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 309 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $8,930 |
| High income | $8,360 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,360 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,230 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Porter and Chester Institute of Hamden.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.